What’s for dinner?

i told you cooking has been theraputic lately, so i’ve been doing alot of it!  i thought i’d share the yummy recipe with you that we had for dinner last night…CROCKPOT CHICKEN TORTILLA SOUP and HOMEMADE TORTILLA CHIPS.

i love this crockpot recipe, because its SO simple, definitely cheap, and healthy too…just my kind of recipe!  our entire family loved it…the boy had multiple helpings, and even the bug ate it, while exlcaiming, “i yike dis soooop!”

here’s the recipe…
(i added a can of corn too)


just throw everything in the crockpot, even the raw chicken breast! (btw:  i got this crockpot for a couple bucks at a garage sale, about 3 hours after i dropped my brand new one and shattered it…i love how God provides!)


cook it on LOW for 8 hours.  

since the recipe was so easy, i had some time to attempt some homemade tortilla chips/strips, and found a recipe and tutorial on this cool blog: http://www.flythroughourwindow.com
i typically don’t like frying things…i think it just makes a mess, and i still have no idea how to dispose of the oil after i’m done…not to mention that i have a huge weakness for anything fried, and i just simply can’t stop myself!  but i have to say, i will definitely do this again…it was fun!  in fact, i kinda want to fry all kinds of things now…its not as hard as i thought!

all it takes is 3 ingredients, two of which i am pretty sure i always have on hand anyway!  


i used corn tortillas, but i’m sure you could use flour.  however, i’m thinking it’ll yield a different taste…so i think i’d suggest corn!  i cut them into strips for the soup and into chips just for fun!
heat a 1/2 inch of oil over medium heat in a big pan (i used vegetable cause that’s what i had, but i’m pretty sure you could use canola too).  test for the right temperature by dropping a strip into the oil.  if it bubbles and raises to the top quickly, its ready.  once the oil is ready, drop your strips in, and let cook for about 2-3 minutes, or until slightly golden brown.  watch it, because i definitely cooked some too long.  


drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt….i used kosher salt.  i am a big fan of kosher salt…i think its the best for cooking!  and plus, since its a bit coarser than regular salt, it looks like little bitty crystals on your food.  (this pic shows that i salted WAY too much…you might want to use a little less than i did…we def had to brush some off before eating)

 
the kiddos were thrilled to test them for me (btw:  i have no idea why bella’s skirt is hanging off her backside like that or why canaan is wearing socks with his crocs…we seem to look like ragamuffins as the day goes on, but my ragamufins sure are cute!)


we almost polished off this whole bowl!  


and as a side note:  this is what happens in my house when i’m preoccupied…the funny thing is, we just so happen to have two of these cash registers…but somehow, they seem to want the exact same one at the exact same time)…(notice, too, in this pic that bella’s skirt is now all the way off!)

and this is where i found the bug a bit later (after she lost interest in fighting over the cash register).  she was making her own soup:


okay…back to the soup.  to finish it off, after the 8 hours on low, take the chicken breast out…it should just fall right apart.  shred it with two forks, and then put it back into the soup, mixing thoroughly.  



we served it with shredded cheese, sour cream, lime, and our homemade tortilla strips.

let me know if you attempt it, and how it turns out!